Department
Biological Sciences
Major
Biological Sciences
Research Advisor
Niyogi, Dev
Advisor's Department
Biological Sciences
Funding Source
The Summer Scholars Program; Biological Sciences Department
Abstract
Stormwater runoff from urban areas can lead to excess nutrients, such as phosphorus or nitrogen, in our waterways. These waste nutrients can lead to overgrowth of algae and plants, deoxygenation of ponds and streams, and death of the aquatic life in these important ecosystems. Currently, floating treatment wetlands are being used to combat these excess nutrients, combining a floating element with an absorptive media, either man-made or natural aquatic plants, into a model to float on an impacted lake. In this research project, multiple small-scale microcosm level experiments were run with different native aquatic plants to test their uptake ability for future use in a full-scale floating treatment wetland. Nutrient uptake was measured through soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) tests, total phosphorus (TP) tests, and ash digestion of plant and algal samples. Algae and pondweed proved the most efficient in the trials for removing phosphorus from water. Coontail was also very effective, while duckweed and watercress were the least effective in their phosphorus removal.
Biography
Grace Wilbanks is an undergraduate research student at Missouri University of Science and Technology with research in nutrient impairment and water rehabilitation under Dr. Dev Niyogi, a professor within the Biological Sciences Department. She plans to go into Veterinary Medicine after her graduation in 2026.
Research Category
Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Location
Innovation Forum - 1st Floor Innovation Lab
Presentation Date
10 April 2024, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Evaluation of Phosphorus Uptake within Aquatic Plants for the use of Nutrient Removal
Innovation Forum - 1st Floor Innovation Lab
Stormwater runoff from urban areas can lead to excess nutrients, such as phosphorus or nitrogen, in our waterways. These waste nutrients can lead to overgrowth of algae and plants, deoxygenation of ponds and streams, and death of the aquatic life in these important ecosystems. Currently, floating treatment wetlands are being used to combat these excess nutrients, combining a floating element with an absorptive media, either man-made or natural aquatic plants, into a model to float on an impacted lake. In this research project, multiple small-scale microcosm level experiments were run with different native aquatic plants to test their uptake ability for future use in a full-scale floating treatment wetland. Nutrient uptake was measured through soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) tests, total phosphorus (TP) tests, and ash digestion of plant and algal samples. Algae and pondweed proved the most efficient in the trials for removing phosphorus from water. Coontail was also very effective, while duckweed and watercress were the least effective in their phosphorus removal.
